停职 (tíng zhí) — to suspend (someone) from duty/office | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Suspension from an official or professional post, typically temporary and disciplinary. Unlike firing (解雇/开除), the person still holds the position but is not allowed to perform duties.

verb

to suspend (someone) from duty/office

Examples

停职。
Tā yīn wèi tān wū bèi tíng zhí le.
He was suspended from duty because of corruption.
。
Gōng sī tíng le tā sān gè yuè de zhí.
The company suspended him for three months.
停职，。
Tā bèi tíng zhí diào chá, xiàn zài bù néng shàng bān.
He was suspended pending investigation and can't go to work now.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

停 stop and 职 duty combine to mean halt one's official duties, i.e. be suspended.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻亭停

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

亭

亭tíng停tíng

Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 職; 职 is its simplified writing.

耳戠職

Meaning part形符xíngfú

耳耳ěrear

Sound part声符shēngfú

戠

戠zhí職zhí

Same sound today

The traditional form 職 pairs 耳 (ear) with 戠, which gives its sound; the simplified 职 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Appears in

Workplace & Office

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